Ruby Lineage
by FragilePuzzle
Summary: AU. The history of L is tainted with a bloody past, but a certain shinigami-eyed successor wants to change the way the future is shaped. When Mello gets dragged into the whirlwind that is Beyond, will he do something he regrets, or something he relishes?


Hey guys! This is actually a few-chapter story that I'm writing for Mad Mayhem – and it is a bit of a unique pairing. I've never written anything quite like this before, so bear with me. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy~ Suppose it's a bit AU cause of the ages and plot.

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Mello walked down the carpeted corridor, his skin glistening with a thin sheen of sweat, a few grass-stains on his clothes and dirt on his cheek from when he did a perfect faceplant into the ground. God, was he glad Near didn't see him.

Quickly arriving at the bathroom thanks to his brisk pace, he was surprised when he heard movement and footsteps from inside. It was on the third floor of the large orphanage – usually nobody came up here until it was bedtime, and even if they did, this bathroom was old, worn-down, and creepy. Who could be in there?

The blonde teen quickly cracked the door open, peering in with a curious expression on his face. He wasn't surprised to see that the bathroom creeper was Wammy's…oddest, to say the least, student. Beyond Birthday. He was sixteen, only a year older than Mello, but he acted like a seven-year-old hyped up on sugar.

But what Mello didn't expect to see was the sleeve of BB's plain black shirt rolled back, his bloody forearm exposed. The thick red liquid streamed down out of a dozen or so thin, small cuts. It appeared as though the older boy had pierced himself quite deeply, however, as they were bleeding like no other.

Before Mello had the chance to say anything, he watched as Beyond leaned forward and ran his tongue through the fluid, taking his free hand and running the tips of his fingers through it as well. He quickly smeared his palm red, watching with fascination as new blood sprung up from right underneath the spot he had just wiped clean.

A low chuckle filled the room was he walked over to the mirror, as though he couldn't see enough of it with his own eyes, as though he had to look in the mirror to take in the full spectrum of what he was doing. That was when he saw the reflection of Mello, half-in and half-out of the bathroom door, having crept in a bit further in his eagerness to see what the older boy was doing.

Though it was apparent they had made eye contact, Beyond simply blinked and went back down to his arm, staring at it for a few more moments before tugging down his sleeve and leaning over the sink. He grabbed a knob that decorated either side of the broken porcelain, his hand slipping before he got a firm grip and turned the hot water on, splashing his fingers messily through the water gushing from the tap. Mello closed his eyes before opening them again. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Beyond… um… what are you doing?"

Mello tried to keep the tone of his voice at least slightly welcoming. Though he could safely say that he didn't hate Beyond, it didn't mean they were best friends either. Though the raven-haired boy wasn't much of a threat. Ever since his friend A had died, B quickly fell behind in all of his studies, leaving him to place about thirteenth in the orphanage. That meant Mello had no real reason to hate him.

"Beyond is doing nothing," he murmured quietly, his fingers fiddling at the drain. As Mello took another step in, shutting the door behind him, he could see the way that a light pinkish-red mingled with the tap water swirling down the drain. He also noticed that Beyond was currently trying to shove a razor down the small hole in the sink, but the blonde didn't want to be caught and somehow blamed if it was to damage the plumbing in any way, so the black-clad teen walked over to Beyond and leaned up against the wall next to the sink.

"You shouldn't try and shove it down the sink. It's not like I'm gonna tell on you."

"Beyond has done… nothing," he repeated, his dull eyes slowly raising to look at Mello.

"Cept for cutting your arms up."

There was less than a second's pause before Mello found himself being slammed up against the nearby wall, one of Beyond's arms on either side of his head. He felt no fear, however, his blue eyes only narrowing slightly. This was what he got for trying to be nice. Some fuckin' psychopath shoving him up against the wall.

"Mello will not tell."

"Jesus, I'm not going to tell!"

"He will not tell Near."

"Beyond, why the hell would I tell Near?" Mello spat, trying to shove the older boy off of him and failing. He was much stronger than his thin frame portrayed.

"Mello spends much of his time fixated on Near… Beyond knows this."

The blonde teen could smell the blood on the other's breath. It was vile.

"I'm not close to Near at all. I hate him."

"…Mello hates Near as well?"

"As well? What do you mean?" There was a moment of silence, in which there were no changes of expression or shifting in stances. "Look, never mind. I don't want to know."

"Beyond does not like Near."

"Yeah, well, I don't either."

"Near believes he can replace A," the older teen continued. "Beyond…Beyond doesn't agree. A will always be the true L. Beyond must…avenge A. It is L's fault A is dead. A's life was decreased. The numbers just kept tick-tick-ticking away."

Slowly, the force Beyond was using to hold Mello to the bathroom wall depleted, and he was no longer pressing against Mello at all. A small bit of blood dripped from the black-haired boy's clenched first, the warm liquid staining the hem of his sleeve. Mello hesitated before attempting to slip away, regretting having come to the bathroom in the first place - deciding that questioning B had been even stupider an idea.

"Mello is going to help Beyond get his revenge," murmured the male. "He will _dispose_ of Near while Beyond replaces L. It is all L's fault."

There was silence in the room, disbelief etched onto Mello's features.

"_Dispose_ of Near? Beyond, the only way I'm going to "dispose" of Near is by beating him so badly he never wants to show his face again. If you're talking about what I think you are, there's no way I'm sinking to suck a low level. Just to help you and your weirdo - "

"Does Mello wish for the position of L? He may have it if he is to help B with his task." Beyond's voice was a hauntingly tempting whisper, his eyes reflection quiet desire. "Mihael is second in line, is he not? If he were to dispose of Near, he would be first. If Beyond were to remove L from that equation, there would be nothing stopping Mihael from _becoming_ L."

Mello remained silent until his eyes suddenly widened. B had called him Mihael. His true name. The only people who knew his real name were Watari, L, and Matt… so how did this position-thirteen freak know it?

"Mihael is wondering how Beyond knew his name." It was a statement, not a question. "B would tell him, but he would not believe B. Besides, now is not the time to talk of such things. Beyond knows how deeply Mihael wishes to be L."

Mello's wavering eyes were distracted by a small flash of movement in the mirror. He almost wished it was somebody entering the secluded bathroom. Instead, it was only B dislodging the razor that had become imbedded in his hand from squeezing it so roughly.

"Beyond, I'm not getting charged with murder. This is insane. We live in an orphanage full of geniuses. I'm almost positive that somebody'd figure out we did it."

"Not if Mihael simply allows Beyond to instruct him."

"…why me?"

Mello froze again. He couldn't even be _considering_ this, could he? These was no way he could ever murder somebody, especially not Near. It was against everything L stood for.

But _L_. He could become _L._ Nobody would ever stand in his way again. He'd have total control… he'd be number one.

"Nate trusts you, Mihael," B purred, a crooked grin exposing sharp and slightly stained teeth. "Besides, Mihael must be the one to succeed L…"

"He doesn't trust me, stupid. He hates me and I hate him." Mello's voice was not as hard as it usually was, his eyes slightly blurry and distracted, as though he were thinking.

"Nate is closest to Mihael - he sees Mihael as his closest friend, his only equal. The only person that could ever bring him a challenge. Yet he is not afraid of Mihael… doesn't that _anger_ Mihael?"

"I'll become better than him. I am better than him."

"Mihael will never surpass Nate. Not at the rate his numbers are decreasing."

"Look, you're not making any fucking _sense_," Mello's eyes narrowed, his chest tightening slightly. He would surpass Near. Without a doubt. Putting up his walls as not to give into any more temptations this nut-job offered him, he hardened his eyes and looked up at the other teen. "I'm going to beat Near by myself. I'm not going to do something like _disposing _of him. I'm not going to have anything to do with this, B."

Beyond grinned childishly, taking a few steps back from Mello, his shirtsleeve slipping up to expose reddened and inflamed cuts as he began to chew on his thumbnail. They were still oozing a small bit of blood and pus, probably so swollen thanks to their depth - it was known how much of a neat freak B was, so there was no chance the blade he'd used was rusty.

"Mihael will come back later. Lust drives us all. Beyond knows this very well."

The black-haired teen saw Mello eyeing his arm, and another lopsided grin slipped onto his cracked and chapped lips.

"Lust is what drives Beyond as well."

"Lust…? For what?"

Mello received no answer. Slowly, Beyond moved further backwards, the two of them a few feet apart. It was almost like a standoff, or a staring contest. Eye contact was never broken. There was only a tiny plip as the smallest droplets of blood dripped onto the dirty tile floor.

"Mihael will be back here, late at night when everybody is asleep. When he has figured out what Beyond means."

Mello quickly turned on his heel, blonde hair gently whipping at his cheeks as he left the bathroom without another word, thoughts incessantly buzzing through his head.

"Mihael will be back…"

Slowly, Beyond slumped over to the floor, his head spinning of blood loss. His arm throbbed as he leaned back against the tile wall, allowing the cool porcelain to slip past the messy black strands of hair that decorated his scalp, closing his eyes and allowing his body to numb. After a few minutes of silence and still, the teen opened his eyes, pressing his palms against the dirty floor and shuddering slightly as he stood.

Walking over to the sink once again, the raven-haired boy turned on the cool water and began to thoroughly scrub at his hands, blinking his tired eyes and looking into the mirror. His grey orbs focused on the air above his head, having no expression as they blankly stared at it.

"Mihael will be back."

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**End Note: **Despite what you may or may not think, B isn't emo. XD Everything shall be explained later~ Expect an update of Thief as soon as possible. ^ ^

~FragilePuzzle


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